Apparatus and system for repairing impact damage

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull includes a body having a through hole along a center axis thereof, an anchor unit provided on one side of the body and configured to be inserted into the hull through the impact damage and to be hooked on an inner wall of the hull, and an elastic member inserted into the through hole and having a first side fixed to the anchor unit and a second side fixed to the body.

SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO A GRACE PERIOD INVENTOR DISCLOSURE

This invention has been published as Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0029672 on Mar. 21, 2018.

STATEMENT REGARDING SPONSORED RESEARCH

This research was supported by a grant [KCG-01-2018-03] through the Marine pollution & Coast guard funded by Ministry of Public Safety and Security of Korean government.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a system for repairing an impact damage on a hull of a battle ship during a sea battle.

2. Description of the Related Art

In a naval engagement, a battle ship is susceptible to bombardment damages on or under the sea, which could let the seawater flow into the battle ship, leading to a flooding.

A battle ship is basically equipped with a drainage pump for draining inflowed seawater to the outside. However, the battle ship will sink when the drainage pump is not functioning properly or when the drainage capacity is overwhelmed by inflow amount of the seawater.

During a battle, it is necessary to block impact damages autonomously in order to prevent the battle ship from flooding or sinking, especially at the occurrence of damage to the hull below sea level.

Repairing the impact damage to the hull during the battle needs a detecting apparatus for detecting a location of the impact damage and the extent of the damage, a repairing apparatus for repairing the impact damage, a moving apparatus for moving the repairing apparatus to the impact damage, and a system for controlling these apparatuses. The detecting apparatus may include a sensor for sensing a shape of the impact damage.

Due to the nature of the battle ship, the damaged area can be categorized by size largely into a rifle-induced damage or heavy-weapon damage. Accordingly, different repairing apparatuses may be needed to repair different damaged areas by strategically classifying such apparatuses into minimized and optimized sizes and weights for quickly handling possible impact damages.

According to Junghwan Moon, et. al., “An Experimental Study on the Performance of Liquid Spill Stopper to Prevent Flood through the Hull Punctures”, Korean Institute of Navigation and Port Research, v. 37, No. 2, 2013, pp. 149-154, the repairing apparatus may be detached from the hull when the vessel speed exceeds a specific value, depending on the size of the impact damage, the inflow pressure of seawater, and the vessel speed (battle ship speed).

Korean Patent No. 10-1564835 discloses a mobile robot to detect and repair damage of hull which, however, is difficult to be utilized for autonomously repairing diverse areas of impact damage occurred during battle.

SUMMARY

According to some embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull includes a body having a through hole along a center axis thereof, an anchor unit provided on one side of the body and configured to be inserted into the hull through the impact damage and to be hooked on an inner wall of the hull, and an elastic member inserted into the through hole and having a first side fixed to the anchor unit and a second side fixed to the body.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a housing device for accommodating an impact damage repairing apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull includes an accommodating unit for accommodating at least one impact damage repairing apparatus of a same type as the apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull according to some embodiments of the present invention, a launching unit provided on the accommodating unit, a loading unit configured to load the at least one impact damage repairing apparatus accommodated in the accommodating unit to the launching unit, and a moving mechanism to move to the impact damage.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, a system for repairing an impact damage on a hull includes the housing device according to some embodiments of the present invention, a guide arranged along the hull, a moving unit configured to move along the guide, a wire for connecting the moving unit and the housing device, and a control unit configured to control the moving unit to move along the guide. The moving unit is configured to move in a state in which at least one housing device and the wire are accommodated therein. The control unit is configured to control the moving unit and the wire in a manner that the impact damage repairing apparatus loaded to the launching unit is positioned at the impact damage, and when the impact damage repairing apparatus is positioned at the impact damage, to control the launching unit to launch the impact damage repairing apparatus to repair the impact damage.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical and industrial significance of this invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coordinates system for tracking a location on an outer wall of a hull according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a traveling path of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus on the outer wall of the hull according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus of a first type according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus of a second type according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a housing device for accommodating a hull impact damage repairing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the housing device shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an impact damage repairing system according to some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation in which a hull impact damage repairing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention performs repairing a plurality of impact damages on a hull.

BEST MODE(S) FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Prevention of battle ships from sinking by blocking the inflow of seawater through certain sizes of impact damage occurred during battle may be achieved by i) position sensor control technology for determining the accurate position of impact damage during battle, ii) an automatic position tracking system capable of tracking the accurate position of impact damage, iii) an autonomous moving mechanism that autonomously detects and approaches the impact damage, iv) a system for identifying the type of impact damage, and v) an apparatus for autonomous manipulation and actuation of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus, etc.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a coordinates system for tracking a location on an outer wall of a hull according to some embodiments of the present invention.

When an impact on the outer wall of the hull induces a damage, the coordinates of the surface of the hull need to be confirmed in order to automatically track the damaged position. When the impact damage to the hull is confirmed, the coordinates of the impact damage can be specified and used as an input for moving the hull impact damage repairing apparatus to the location of the impact damage.

Confirmation of an impact damage may be performed by using various sensors and cameras installed in the hull. When an impact damage is confirmed by the naked eye, the observer can manually input the coordinates of the damaged position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a traveling path of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus on the outer wall of the hull according to some embodiments of the present invention.

When the impact damage is confirmed and the position of the impact damage is inputted, a housing device 200 for accommodating the hull impact damage repairing apparatus moves quickly to the impact damage. FIG. 2 illustrates the impact damage (C) by a star shape in a circle, by which the housing device 200 is adapted to move both ways from stem to stern along a guide (G). When the horizontal coordinate of the housing device 200 coincides with that of the impact damage (C), the housing device 200 is winched vertically towards the impact damage (C) by wire (W).

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of a hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 of a first type according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 of a second type according to some embodiments of the present invention.

In FIG. 3, the top drawing is a perspective view of the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300, the lower left side a front view, and the lower right a side view thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention includes a body 310, an anchor unit 320, an elastic member 330, and an anchor support unit 340.

The body 310 has a through hole 350 along a center axis thereof. The body 310 has various sizes depending on the size of the impact damage.

There are three different sizes of the impact damage, including 15 mm, 26 mm, and 62 mm-impact areas incurred by a rifle and a machine cannon. For example, the 15 mm-impact area is treated with the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 30 mm, the 26 mm-impact area is treated with the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 50 mm, and the 62 mm-impact area is treated with the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 120 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3, the body 310 is composed of an upper body (a first body portion as best shown on the left anchor unit side in the lower right side view) made of an elastic material such as rubber, and a broad lower body (a second body portion shaded on the right side) made of metallic material.

The anchor unit 320 has a hook-like three-pronged structure adapted to be inserted into the inside of the hull through the damaged portion and to be fixed on the internal wall of the hull. The anchor unit 320 Is configured to have its prongs converge towards each other and then deploy back to their original angle after insertion into the hull. Therefore, the prongs of the anchor unit 320 form an imaginary circle connecting the prongs at the outer tips, which has a diameter greater than the size of the impact damage.

The elastic member 330 is formed with, for example, a tension spring or rubber inserted in the through hole 350 to provide a tensile force between the anchor unit 320 and the body 310, and thereby fixing the anchor unit 320 inside of the hull and the body 310 outside of the hull under the tensile force of the elastic member 330 with the outer wall of the hull interposed therebetween. In some embodiments of the present invention, the elastic member 330 is also constructed in a pneumatic or hydraulic structure.

More specifically, the anchor unit 320 is fixed to the anchor support unit 340 which is placed inside of the through hole 350. At the opposite side of the anchor unit 320, the anchor support unit 340 is fixed to the elastic member 330 so that the anchor unit 320 and the body 310 are in contact with each other due to the initial tensile force of the elastic member 330. When firing the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 with a launching unit (firing pin, not shown), the anchor support unit 340 is pushed towards the anchor unit 320 to stretch the elastic member 330, allowing the anchor unit 320 to enter the hull through the impact damage (C) and then adhere to the interior of the hull. This causes the elastic member 330 to remain stretched, providing an increased tensile force from the initial tensile force, to fix the anchor unit 320 and the body 310 with the outer wall of the hull interposed therebetween.

The present embodiment illustrates a spring as the elastic member 330 for example, although any other members can be used as long as they have an elastic force (e.g., rubber). The anchor unit 320 is illustrated as an anchor-like inward hook with multiple prongs, although it can be embodied by any structure that is inserted in the interior of the hull through the impact damage (C) and fixedly deployed inside thereof. For example, an umbrella-like deployment or a deployment in the form of an air bag may be employed.

When the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 has the anchor unit 320 enter the impact damage (C), the anchor unit 320 is fixed to the wall (B) inside the hull (B). At the same time, the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 has the upper rubber body block the impact damage (C) (FIG. 4, area F).

FIG. 5 shows the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 further having a handle 360 for convenience sake.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a housing device 500 for accommodating the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the housing device 500.

The housing device 500 according to some embodiments of the present invention is adapted to accommodate the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300, and to navigate or track and repair the impact damage (C).

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the housing device 500 includes an accommodating unit 510, a launching unit 520, a loading unit 530, and a moving mechanism 540.

The accommodating unit 510 accommodates at least one internal hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300, and provides a travel route for the internal hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 can move along. In some embodiments of the present invention, the accommodating unit 510 accommodates a plurality of internal hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having different sizes.

The launching unit 520 is installed on one side of the accommodating unit 510, and is adapted to launch the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 housed in the accommodating unit 510, so as to allow the anchor unit 320 to enter the hull through impact damage (C) and then adhere to the interior of the hull. The launching unit 520 may be implemented pneumatically or mechanically as a firing pin to push the anchor support unit 340. For example, the launching unit 520 is configured to push the anchor support unit 340 with a pressure corresponding to the maximum elastic force of the elastic member 330.

The loading unit 530 moves the hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300 to the launching unit 520 through the internal travel path in the accommodating unit 510.

The moving mechanism 540 moves the housing device 500 towards the impact damage (C). In some embodiments of the present invention, the moving mechanism 540 includes an endless track equipped with a magnetic force generating mechanism. The magnetic force generating mechanism is, for example a structure of a permanent magnet and a magnetic shielding switch combined or an electromagnet.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an impact damage repairing system according to some embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation in which the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention performs repairing a plurality of impact damages on a hull.

As shown in FIG. 8, a hull impact damage repairing system according to some embodiments of the present invention includes at least one housing device 500, a guide (G), a moving unit 600, an impact damage detecting unit 610, a coordinates calculating unit 620, a coordinates input unit 630, an impact damage size determining unit 640, an impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650, a control unit 660, and wire (W).

The housing device 500 contains at least one hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300. In some embodiments of the present invention, the housing device 500 holds in its accommodating unit 510 a plurality of hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 of different sizes.

The guide (G) is installed in the hull to allow the moving unit 600 to travel along the hull externally in the horizontal direction. In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide (G) Is made up of rails.

The moving unit 600 moves around the hull along the guide (G). In some embodiments of the present invention, the moving unit 600, carrying a plurality of housing devices of the same type as the housing device 500 and the wire (W) therein, moves along the guide (G).

The impact damage detecting unit 610 is adapted to detect the position of an impact damage (C) occurred. In some embodiments of the present invention, the impact damage detecting unit 610 includes shock sensors, conductive coordinates film, cameras and so on which are installed in the hull.

The coordinates calculating unit 620 calculates, from the coordinates of the hull, the coordinates of the impact damage (C) that the impact damage detecting unit 610 detected. The coordinates calculating unit 620 outputs the calculated coordinates to the coordinates input unit 630.

The coordinates input unit 630 transfers the coordinates inputted from the coordinates calculating unit 620 to the moving unit 600 through the control unit 660, to drive the moving unit 600 and the wire (W), whereby placing the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 within the housing device 500 at the impact damage (C).

The impact damage size determining unit 640 determines the size of the impact damage (C) that is detected by the impact damage detecting unit 610. In some embodiments of the present invention, the impact damage size determining unit 640 detects the edge line of the impact damage (C) captured by a camera, to determine the maximum diameter of the edge line as the size of the impact damage (C). In some embodiments of the present invention, the impact damage size determining unit 640 determines the size of the shell hole by confirming the position where the coordinates are lost in the coordinates system of the hull due to the damage.

The impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 selects, from among the plurality of hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300 within the housing device 500, the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 of an appropriate size commensurate with the size of the impact damage (C) as determined by the impact damage size determining unit 640. For example, the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 selects the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 30 mm for a 15 mm-impact area, the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 50 mm for a 26 mm-impact area, and the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 120 mm for a 62 mm-impact area. The control unit 660 controls the loading unit 530 to place the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 selected by the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 at the impact damage (C).

The control unit 660 controls the moving unit 600 and the wire (W) to place the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 loaded to the launching unit 520 in the housing device 500 at the impact damage (C). When the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 is placed over the impact damage (C), the control unit 660 controls the launching unit 520 to allow the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 to repair the impact damage (C).

The wire (W) links the housing device 500 with the moving unit 600 so that the housing device 500 moves vertically to and from the moving unit 600. The moving unit 600 is internally installed with a winding unit (not shown) for the wire (W) to winch the housing device 500 up and down.

The control unit 660 is composed of a processor including a CPU (central processing unit) which incorporates the coordinates calculating unit 620, the coordinates input unit 630, the impact damage size determining unit 640, and the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 in the form of a module in some embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation in which the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 according to some embodiments of the present invention performs repairing a plurality of impact damages on a hull.

As shown in FIG. 9, where a battle incurred multiple impact damages (C) in the hull of a ship, the impact damage detecting unit 610 detects the positions of the impact damages (C), and in response the coordinates calculating unit 620 calculates the coordinates of the detected impact damages (C) on the hull. At the same time, the impact damage size determining unit 640 determines the sizes of the impact damages (C) (e.g., 15 mm, 26 mm, or 62 mm), and thereby the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 selects appropriate sizes of hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 commensurate with the sizes of the impact damages (C). For example, the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 selects the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 30 mm for a 15 mm-impact area, the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 50 mm for a 26 mm-impact area, and the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 having the outer diameter of about 120 mm for a 62 mm-impact area.

When the coordinates input unit 630 transmits the calculated coordinates to the control unit 660, the control unit 660 uses the coordinates as the basis for controlling the moving unit 600, the wire (W), and the housing device 500 to place the hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300 selected by the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit 650 at the impact damages (C).

When the hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300 are placed at the impact damages (C), the launching unit 520 fires the hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300 to repair the impact damages (C) as shown in FIG. 9.

In this way, with the hull impact damage repairing apparatuses 300, the housing device 500, and the hull impact damage repairing system according to some embodiments of the present invention, the impact damages (C) can be repaired by selectively applying the hull impact damage repairing apparatus 300 that readily fits the size of the impact damage (C). This prevents the battle ship subject to impact damages (C) of certain sizes during a sea battle from sinking by blocking the inflow of seawater through the impact areas.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a system for repairing impact damages of certain sizes as occurred on a hull of a battleship during a sea battle by blocking the inflow of seawater through the impact damages.

As explained above, some embodiments of the present invention is capable of repairing impact damages of certain sizes as occurred on a hull of a battleship during a sea battle by blocking the inflow of seawater through the impact damages.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that the invention can be implemented in other concrete forms without changing the technical idea and essential features thereof. It should therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull, the apparatus comprising: a body having a through hole along a center axis thereof; an anchor unit provided on one side of the body and configured to be inserted into the hull through the impact damage and to be hooked on an inner wall of the hull; and an elastic member inserted into the through hole and having a first side fixed to the anchor unit and a second side fixed to the body.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the body includes a first body unit defining a first portion of the body and formed of an elastic material, and a second body unit defining a second portion of the body and formed of a metal material.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anchor unit has a diameter smaller than a size of the impact damage when being inserted into the hull and is configured to be deployed to have a diameter larger than the size of the impact damage after being inserted into the hull.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member includes at least one of a spring, a rubber, an air tension structure, and a hydraulic tension structure, allows the body and the anchor unit to make contact with each other with an initial tension, and when the anchor unit is deployed inside the hull, is stretched to allow the body and the anchor unit to be fixed with a wall of the hull therebetween with an increased tension.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an anchor support unit including a first and to which the anchor unit is fixed and a second end to which the elastic member is fixed, wherein the anchor support unit is arranged inside the through hole and allows the anchor unit to be inserted into the hull through the impact damage.
 6. A housing device for accommodating an impact damage repairing apparatus for repairing an impact damage on a hull, the housing device comprising: an accommodating unit for accommodating at least one impact damage repairing apparatus of a same type as the apparatus according to claim 1; a launching unit provided on the accommodating unit; a loading unit configured to load the at least one impact damage repairing apparatus accommodated in the accommodating unit to the launching unit; and a moving mechanism to move to the impact damage.
 7. The housing device according to claim 6, wherein the accommodating unit is configured to accommodate a plurality of impact damage repairing apparatuses of different sizes.
 8. The housing device according to claim 6, wherein the moving mechanism includes a magnetic-force generating unit configured to generate a magnetic force.
 9. A system for repairing an impact damage on a hull, the system comprising: the housing device according to claim 6; a guide arranged along the hull; a moving unit configured to move along the guide; a wire for connecting the moving unit and the housing device; and a control unit configured to control the moving unit to move along the guide, wherein the moving unit is configured to move in a state in which at least one housing device and the wire are accommodated therein, and the control unit is configured to control the moving unit and the wire in a manner that the impact damage repairing apparatus loaded to the launching unit is positioned at the impact damage, and when the impact damage repairing apparatus is positioned at the impact damage, to control the launching unit to launch the impact damage repairing apparatus to repair the impact damage.
 10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a coordinates input unit for inputting coordinates of the impact damage on hull surface coordinates, wherein the control unit is configured to control the moving unit and the wire based on the coordinates of the impact damage inputted.
 11. The system according to claim 10, further comprising: an impact damage detecting unit configured to detect the impact damage; and a coordinates calculating unit configured to calculate coordinates of the impact damage on the hull surface coordinates, wherein the coordinates calculating unit is configured to output calculated coordinates of the impact damage to the coordinates input unit.
 12. The system according to claim 9, further comprising: an impact damage size determining unit configured to determine a size of the impact damage; and an impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit configured to select an impact damage repairing apparatus of a predetermined size based on the size of the impact damage determined by the impact damage size determining unit, wherein the accommodating unit is configured to accommodate a plurality of impact damage repairing apparatuses of different sizes, the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit is configured to select the impact damage repairing apparatus of the predetermined size from the plurality of impact damage repairing apparatuses of different sizes accommodated in the accommodating unit, and the control unit is configured to control the loading unit to load the impact damage repairing apparatus selected by the impact damage repairing apparatus selecting unit to the launching unit. 